Sketchbook studies of dandelion leaves

For this sketch I once again stuck down a layer of tissue paper to the right- hand side of my page, and washed a background wash of lime green across the page. Using mixed media of inks, watercolor paints and pencils, charcoal pencils and acrylics, I applied layers into the background, trying to emulate the many layers visible in the negative space. I then worked the foreground, trying to strike a contrast by using lighter tones and more saturated colors in the foreground. I used quite a bit of pure white, straight from the tube, as well as black acrylic, which does have the effect of deadening the effect of the modelling. It also emphasizes the linearity of the crisp lines of the dandelions, making this a confusing and overpowering feature.

Figure 1. Initial full-page study

I decided that I wanted to increase the depth in the picture plane by using a different color and tonal value for my initial wash. For the background, I chose a teal blue, and for the foreground a light lime green. The effect of this is quite evident in the way the foreground projects more than the background. I also made the background full of numerous layers of shapes created with washes of watercolor paints, inks and acrylics, whereas the foreground was simpler in form and rather concentrated on hue and tonal differences.

After completing this sketch, I felt like I was slowly taking steps in the right direction. One though I had was to add some interest to the foreground by sticking down some maps of Montenegro as an additional layer of comment.

Figure 2. Second full-page study.